Sly Copper and the Haunted Mansion
by King of 2211
Summary: One night, while walking home from the movies, Sly and his friends (and Dimitri and Peng [Panda] King) are confronted by a huge storm and end up taking refuge in one of most dreadful places in Swallow Falls; the haunted Gracey Manor. Early Halloween fic. SlyxCarmelita, BentleyxPenelope.
1. A Haunted House

**Hey, King of 2211 here, for any viewers of Dragon out there, it's on hold till this fic is finished, but I do promise to get back on track once I do. This is actually my fifth Sly Cooper fic and the only none Xover, the other four being with the Nightmare Before Christmas. I remember my first time on the Haunted Mansion, I was terrified, but as I grew, I learned to love it. Sly Copper, one of the most bodacious, awesometastic, and ultra sweet franchise that came PlayStation, ever! Whenever I think of these two things, the first thought came to me and asked why not add these two together?", why not? So, here it is. . . There's no turning back now . . . . And now, on with the story! Disney owns the Haunted Mansion and Sanzaru are the (new) owners of Sly Cooper.**

* * *

Prologue: A Haunted House

* * *

_Have you ever seen a haunted house? You know the kind I mean, that old, dark house that's usually at the end of a dimly lit street. Of course, dear friends, I speak about one house in particular; the abandoned Gracey Manor._

The scenery shows the small town community of Swallow Falls, more particularly, an old decaying mansion that was about four stories high.

_The owners haven't been seen for years, no one really knows why. It's as if one day, they just simply vanished into thin air. The windows are broken and boarded and the shutters hang loose on their hinges. The trees have grown wild; their branches brush against the side of the withering house, making strange noises in the night._

The scenery changes to show said windows and trees as well as a large, rusty fence that was covered by overgrown plant vines.

_There's a high, vine-covered fence around the property . . . is it there to keep somebody out? Or is it there to keep some . . . THING inside? It's a house that people avoid walking past at night. Strange sounds come within the walls and it's said that eerie lights have been seen both in the attic window and in the graveyard at the side of the house._

The scenery changes one last time to show that there was, in fact, a cemetery beside the decaying, old mansion.

_Our story revolves around this mysterious mansion . . . and a group of youths who dared to brave inside . . ._

* * *

**Well, prologue's done and over with, hope you've all enjoyed, because Sly and friends will be appearing in the next chap. So, stay tuned, if you have the stomach for it.**


	2. Welcome, Foolish Mortals

Chapter One: Welcome, Foolish Mortals

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One, dark night, not too long ago, a group of five, fourteen-year-old friends were walking home from a double-feature day at the movies. The five youths consisted of five different species: a raccoon, hippo, turtle, fox, and mouse. The raccoon had grey fur with the usual black marking, which included his bushy ringed tail, short grey hair, and bright blue eyes. He wore a black short sleeve t-shirt, blue hoodie jacket, black fingerless gloves, faded blue jeans that were held up by a black leather belt, a red backpack that was slung over his right shoulder, and black Nikes. This raccoon was Sylvester James Cooper, or Sly to his friends, family, or any other person who knew him well. He was the son of Conner Cooper, local pharmacist and travel agent, and his wife, Sarah Cooper, the town's librarian.

The vixen had a womanly figure that brownish-orange and golden fur, long bushy tail, long braided blue hair, and hazelnut-brown eyes. She wore a blue sleeveless T-shirt, brown jacket, dark-blue jeans that were held up by a brown leather belt, brown gloves, and black boots. This young vixen was Carmelita Montoya-Fox, the second oldest of six siblings and first daughter of the town's Sheriff, Alexander (of whom which she inherited her fiery temper) and his wife, Alisa Fox (née Montoya). She was known to be law-abiding since she was only four-years-old and was one of the smartest (4th) youths in school.

The turtle, who was the second to shortest of the group, had skinny, green skin, short tail, green eyes, multi-brown colored turtle shell, and a short brown hair. He wore a grey button-up shirt underneath a black sleeveless vest, brown square-rimmed eyeglasses, white hoodie jacket, grey jeans, and brown Nikes. This reptile was Bentley Olsen, one of the most intelligent mind at school, his parents were an electronics repairman and science teacher, and was one of Sly's two best friends.

The hippo, who was the tallest and most muscular-looking of the group, had pink skin, short tail, a bald head, and dark-brown eyes. He wore a teal-colored shirt, black hoodie jacket, blue jeans, red fingerless gloves, and white Nikes. This person was Murray Murphy, son of the owners of the Swallow Falls sporting goods store, the second best friend of Sly, plus his aunt and uncle ran the best pastry shop in town. Two more things that should be noted is that he likes to refer to himself as "The Murray" and he loved horror, fantasy, and action-related media.

Finally, the mouse, who was the smallest (being two inches shorter than Bentley), had slim figure that had lavender fur, large rounded ears, long fleshy tail, dark-pink eyes, and long blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail. She wore a yellow T-shirt, dark-blue overalls, grey hoodie jacket, black round-rimmed eyeglasses, and black boots. This young rodent was Penelope Toutonghi, the second smartest student at school and daughter of a local mechanic in town. She knew Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita, but had a skyscraper-sized crush on Bentley since they both were straight-A students and had a lot in common.

The night was cool and was full of gentle breezes as the five continued on their way home, when lightning suddenly broke through the sky, now full of grey storm clouds. The breezy wind began to pick up and blow harder as lightning cracked once more and thunder rolled across the heavens; changing this pleasant evening into a night that would not be soon forgotten. The group began to quicken the pace of their trek when the lightning illuminated a nearby house, when it started to rain. Being the quickest, Sly began to lead his friends towards said house. Though they had to squeeze through a gate in front of the house, the group had managed to make it to the porch before the rain poured hard. They thought they had found protection, if only they had known . . .

"The forecast said it was supposed to be minor showers tonight!" Bentley whined, shaking off the wetness from his jacket.

"Well, if this is the _minor_, I'd hate to see what the _major_ looks like!" Carmelita shouted to the sky, but shrunk back when another lightning bolt lit up the stormy sky.

"Well, at least we're out of the rain." Sly pointed out.

"Point taken, plus there's-" Murray was about to say, when he felt someone bump his side. "Oh, sorry, Peng."

"Pardon me, Dimitri." Penelope said as she too bumped a person.

"Oh, it's no problem."

"A-OK, hon-ay."

. . . Wait a minuet!

"Peng?!"

"Dimitri?!"

The two in question were, for a fact, two guys that the five new from school and around town; Dimitri Lousteau and Peng King. Dimitri was a young marine iguana with a lanky build that purple scales, long whip-like tail, short (also purple) hair, and light-yellow eyes. He wore a plain red T-shirt, green hoodie jacket (which was bejeweled), green pants (also bejeweled) that were held up by a golden-buckled belt, and black Nikes. Peng was a young panda with a nice muscular build that had the usual black and white fur coloring (save for the blue patches over his eyes), bald head, small tush-tail, and dark-brown eyes. He wore a plain yellow T-shirt, red pants, and a dark-blue hoodie jacket. After a few minuets of silence, excluding the sound of the storm, it was safe to say; it was an awkward moment. The reason being that these two had use to be big bullies from two gangs, Peng from the Fiendish Five and Dimitri from the Klaww Gang. Though both gangs were really young, they had a nasty reputation of bullying, especially when it came to Sly and his friends. Recently, however, after "words" sly had said to the both of them, plus a few others, both gangs had broken up and hadn't been bullying since.

"Honestly, couldn't you guys have found cover _elsewhere_?" Carmelita questioned.

"It's no feast on my end either, Foxy!" Dimitri shot back.

"If I had a choice, do you really think I'd share cover with this guy?" Peng, demanded pointing at Dimitri.

The group thought for a moment, then came to a decision.

"He actually brings up a good point." Bentley stated, which everyone agreed and made the iguana huff.

it was then that another bolt of lightning cracked through the stormy sky and thunder rumbled louder than it had minuets ago; startling the seven youths.

"Man, looks like it's really coming down." Murray stated.

"You said a mouthful, it's pouring canines and felines in every which way but loose." Dimitri stated in his own jive talk.

"Doesn't look like we'll be getting home on time." Penelope observed with her ears low.

"Well, standing here on this porch won't keep us dry." Sly stated as he walked up to the door, started knocking, then pressed the doorbell.

"Sly, what are you doing?" Carmelita questioned when she saw the raccoon at the door.

"I'm seeing if anyone's home, I'm getting no reception on my phone and our parents might get worried of we're not home in the next hour."

"Okay, but who lives here anyway?" Murray asked as he saw a plaque with a name, possibly of the owners of the house, on right side of door. But the name was slightly withered out, making hard to read. "Hey, there's a plaque right here."

"Really, what does it say?" Peng asked.

"Groc . . . Grac . . . Grace . . . Graci . . ."

"Here, let me see." Bentley said as he walked up to the plaque and adjusted his glasses to read what was etched on it. "It's not Graci, Murray, it's Gracey."

It took only a few minuets, but when everyone (including Bentley) heard what the turtle had said, all the blood in their bodies began to chill over even worse than it was from the storm.

"Guys . . . I'm not the one to be superstitious . . . But I'm starting to think that this is the Gracey Manor . . ."

"You m-m-mean the Gracey Manor with all t-t-those stories around it?" Murray asked, his voice just as shakily as his turtle friend's.

"The very same."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

These two had every right to be surprised for the seven youths stood on the porch of the abandoned Gracey Manor, which was (if it wasn't obvious enough) owned by the rich Gracey family. The history of the Gracey family went back as far as the 1800s, starting with Ambrose Gracey, who was the one who had built the mansion for his entire family. However, the family had abruptly ended when William Gracey, of which whom vanished along with his bride Emily de Claire, without a trace. Before that, each member of the had died in mysterious ways, no one could really explain what had happened. Some say the family was cursed, some say bad luck, some even says it was the work of Madame Leota, a psychic medium who was a close friend of the Graceys. The disappearance of William and the last straw and the entire mansion was searched high and low for any signs of life, but it as if they vanished into thin air. It was a mystery what had happened to them, but it was safe to say one thing: they all must've been a very close family as they had a graveyard right next to the mansion. It was a mystery to this very day about what had happened to the family, but no one ever wanted to set foot near the old mansion, especially at night.

"Out of all the roofs and walls to end up on, we end up at the freaky-dickey one." Dimitri remarked distastefully.

"Well, stories or no stories, it's all we got." Sly said as he reached for the knob, but was stopped by Penelope.

"What do you think you're doing?" The mouse questioned her raccoon friend.

"I'm opening the door so we can go in."

"Sly, my parents told me never to go near this place at night, if they find out where I've been, they'll freak!"

"Same goes for me, plus, what if my dad drives by and sees us." Carmelita added worriedly. "Even if this place is abandoned, it's still counts as breaking and entering."

"Look, guys, if we had another choice I'd take it, but it's either we stay out here and get drenched or we go inside for shelter." Sly firmly said as he finally got the door open. "Besides, I brought a flashlight and some matches in my backpack in case of emergencies."

"Yeah, "The Murray's" not scared of some old house, bring it on!" Murray announced valiantly, though he was shivering deep down inside.

"Coming, Dimitri?" Bentley asked when he noticed the iguana not moving.

"What, no way, Joe-say, is Dimitri setting one tippy-toe in this fashion victim!" Dimitri stated stubbornly, but his eyes snapped open when more lightning cracked through the sky. "Although, he is more than willing to make at least _one_ exception."

With that said, the iguana rushed inside with his tail (literally) between his legs, which caused Sly and Bentley to share a look of annoyance. It had been indeed dryer inside the old mansion than outside, but without electricity, it would have been pitch-black if it weren't for Sly's flashlight. The raccoon shined the flashlight all around to see that they were in the mansion's foyer, which had a marble statue of what appeared to be a male wolf, possible of the male Gracey's. What really surprised the group was that there was furniture in the den to their right.

"Hey, if this place is abandoned, then why is there still furniture here?" Murray questioned in confusion.

"Not sure, hey, there are candelabras over there, let's light some candles." Carmelita suggested, which held no arguments.

After the candles were light, the front door had sudden slammed shut, which startled the group, causing them to jump back.

"Must've been the wind, I'll get it." Sly said as he grabbed the doorknob, but try as hard as he could, the door wouldn't budge. "That's strange . . ."

"What?" Bentley asked after recovering from his shock.

""The door's stuck."

"No way, here, let "The Murray" help." Murray stated, but even with his help, the door still would open" "Okay, this is freaky."

"Let me help." Peng elected.

"Me too." Carmelita added, but, as the first couple of times, the door remained shut. "_Ay_ _Dios_ _Mio_, what is wrong with this thing."

"Well given how old this place is, it's not a surprise." Bentley dismissed, despite having a sense of dread taking him over. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"_Good_ _evening_ . . ."

Upon hearing this new voice, the group stood frozen in place as if they were caught in a blizzard. Where did that voice come from? Weren't they suppose to be alone in this old mansion?

"Uh . . .who said that . . ?" Sly asked looking around.

"Wasn't "The Murray" . . ." Murray answered first, eyes wide open.

"I didn't say anything . . ." Peng said, looking over both his shoulders.

"It wasn't me . . ." Carmelita said, hugging herself to calm down.

"Me neither . . ." Penelope added, hiding behind Carmelita.

"Dimitri never utters in an old voice . . ." Dimitri stated, fear overcoming his demeanor.

"I-I-it seems to b-b-be coming from the w-w-walls . . ." Bentley stated, fear clear in his every being.

it was then that the air around the seven became eerily still, even the sound of the storm wasn't bothering what was going on inside. It was at that same moment that he voice spoke up once more.

"_When hinges creak, in doorless chambers, and frightening sounds echo through the walls; whenever candle lights flicker where the air is deathly still. That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror, with ghoulish delight!_"

It was then that everything that the voice had said started happening, much to the group's horror. It eventually stopped, but not before leaving their marks on the seven teens.

"Hello, is someone there?" Sly reluctantly called out and was met by the mysterious voice.

"_Welcome! Foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your Ghost Host._"

With that said, the apparent "Ghost Host" let out a sinister chuckle, which made the group uncomfortable.

"H-h-h-haunted M-m-m-mansion . . ?" Bentley and Murray whimpered in absolute fright.

"G-g-g-ghost H-h-h-host . . . ?" Dimitri also whimpered in an equally frightened voice.

"Um, hi, are-are you William Gracey?" Sly called out once again, which wasn't answered until a few seconds later.

"_I am._"

"Okay, we are really, truly sorry for trespassing on your property, my friends and I just wanted shelter from the storm. So, if you'd be so kind as to open the front door, we'd be more than happy to leave and never bother you ever again."

"_I'm afraid I cannot do that._"

"Why c-c-can't you?" Penelope asked in a small, squeaky voice.

"_Let me assure that you will not be harmed-_"

"That's a relief." Carmelita sighed, feeling as though a great weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"_-but you shall not be released, until-_"

"Until, what?" Peng asked reluctantly.

"_Until you all take a tour of my home._"

"Voice-of-no-body-ghosty says what?" Dimitri asked in confusion.

"_We have so few visitors . . . well, live ones, that is!_"

The Ghost Host let out another sinister chuckle, frightening the group some more.

"Hold that thought, Willy; huddle!" Sly called as he and the other six gathered in a football circle. "Okay, it's official: we're trapped."

"Tragic, isn't it?" Dimitri asked sarcastically.

"Sly, I don't want to be here anymore, I want to go home . . ." Bentley pleaded shakily.

"Me too, storm or no storm, I really don't want to be here now . . ." Penelope mumbled in absolute fright.

"Look, I wanna get out of here too, but what choice do we have?" Sly asked, feeling that they had limited options.

"Yeah, besides, our generous Ghost Host just said he won't let us go, until we take a "tour" of this place." Carmelita added, though she was ready to leave, there was nothing she could do.

"As much as I want to leave, I see no other options." Peng stated.

"Well, "The Murray" is ready to do whatever." Murray said, trying hard to hide his own fear.

"Peng, Dimitri, I know we're not anywhere near friends, but we'll need to stick together to get through this." Sly stated, which made the panda and iguana share a glance, then nod. "Ready?"

"Break!" The six muttered.

"Okay, Willy, you've twisted our arms; we'll take your tour."

"Splendid! Kindly step this way . . . there's no turning back now . . ."

The Ghost Host let out another sinister chuckle as candles on the walls began to light up a hallway to what appeared to be a sort of parlor.

"Of course there isn't." Bentley muttered, the looked towards his raccoon, vixen, and hippo friends. "You'd think we'd be use to things like this after the past three years."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Dimitri asked, which had Peng and Penelope interested.

"Oh, nothing." Carmelita dismissed.

"Long story." Murray stated.

"Tell you some other time, right now we need to keep moving." Sly said, ushering his friends (plus the two tagalongs) towards the parlor.

And so, their tour has officially begun.


	3. The Doombuggie

Chapter Two: The Doombuggie

* * *

The gang walked into the parlor and, despite have creepy gargoyle-like candle holders, had a very nice vintage-style to it and even had four paintings, all of which were wolves: a brunette-southern belle holding a parasol, a middle-aged gentleman with a pen and document in hand, an elderly woman with a rose, and a man wearing a bowler hat. Each of the group found themselves admiring these portrait, though they could only the upper halves of each, not that it mattered to a certain hippo and iguana as they were entranced by the beauty of the southern belle. Peng himself found himself looking after the portrait of the elderly wolf; for some reason, it reminded him a lot of his own grandmother.

"_Our tour begins here, in this gallery. Here you will see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state._"

"Well, I have to admit, these portrait actually look like they should be in a museum." Bentley commented, observing the portrait of the middle-aged wolf. "How're you and Dimitri holding up, Murray?"

"Yeah, we're good . . . which of us was Murray and Dimitri?" Murray asked absently.

"Me not know . . ." Dimitri replied just as absent-minded.

This tour didn't seem as frightening, in fact, it felt surprisingly pleasant, despite the fact that the group were inside a haunted house with the ghost of the previous owner holding them against their will. Even Sly and Carmelita found themselves enjoying themselves as the raccoon mimicked the pose of the wolf by crossing his arms; causing the vixen to giggle at his antics. Things started to take a drastic change, however, as Sly began to feel something was amiss, but what was it?

"Hey, guys, any of you getting a sinking feeling?" Sly asked as a feeling of dread started to work its way in his stomach.

"What do you mean?" Carmelita asked, when suddenly . . .

"_Your cadaverous parlour betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching, or is it your imagination? Hmm?"_

True to the Ghost Host's word; the room really _was_ stretching! Not only that, but the portraits were beginning to expand! The group was now allowed to see the full descriptions of each person per portrait. Only, they were starting to wish that they hadn't, for each portrait showed a sight, more hideous than the last. The southern belle with the parasol was revealed to have a slenderly build and wearing a beautiful dress with a lavender upper-shirt from her waist to her neck, pink frilled-shoulders, and a white skirt with green flowery designs that reached about ten inches above her ankle, and pink slip on shoes. What came after that was certainly a shock if ever the hippo and iguana ever saw, which it was! As the portrait stopped stretching, Murray and Dimitri saw that the young woman was balancing herself, tip-toe on a fraying tightrope . . . which was above the open jaws of a large, vicious-looking _alligator_!

The portrait with the middle-aged wolf wasn't any less shocking than the last as it also showed something when it stopped stretching. Then wolf was wearing a white dress-shirt and black long-sleeved tail coat, but that was only his upper-body. While he was wearing black and white leather shoes with socks that matched in color, it was revealed that he was in nothing but his undergarments from the waist down, which would have been hilarious . . . provided if it weren't for the fact that he was standing on a keg of dynamite . . . which was also lit up by a stray candle!

The shock continued on as the portrait of the old woman had stopped stretching to reveal something that made the young panda's blood run cold. Her full features included a black funeral-dress with a pink collar, black shoes with grey socks, and a reddish poncho with pink highlights. Her most notable feature being her hair done up in a beehive. It also showed that she was sitting on a tombstone:

**Rest**

**In**

**Peace**

**Dearly** **Departed**

**GEORGE**

Along with a bust of an elderly, balding gentleman with a handlebar mustache . . . And a hatchet embedded on the crown of his head!

Last, but certainly not least, the portrait of the wolf with the bowler hat showed that he was wearing a white dress-shirt, black jacket, black slacks, and Italian-looking leather shoes. It was a surprise to see that he was sitting on the shoulders of a middle-aged male mountain goat white short hair and mustache. He wore a white dress-shirt, red suit, brown vest, black bow-tie, red pants, and brown leather shoes. One would think that the red on his face was because of trying to hold up the wolf sitting on his shoulders, but what came next eliminated that possibility. Below the mountain goat was a younger male mountain lion with neatly combed hair with sideburns that connected to his trimmed goatee. He wore a white dress-shirt, grey vest, black bolo-tie, but that was all that could be seen as the lower half was submerged in quicksand! There was even a sign with the word "QUICKSAND" to point out the obvious.

Despite the horrific acts of macabre they were all in, all four of the wolves smiled pleasantly, as if their lives meant absolutely nothing at all! Needless to say, the group were beyond shocked, but could only show it with raised eyebrows as they turned to share a glance at one another. Their thoughts were interrupted as the Ghost Host decided to speak up at the exact moment.

"_And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows and no doors._"

True to his words, the group saw that their point of entry had vanished; leaving them trapped in the stretched-out gallery.

"_Which offers you this chilling challenge: TO FIND ANOTHER WAY OUT!_"

The Ghost Host then let out a loud, sinister laugh that echoed through the walls, much to the group's discomfort.

"_Of course, there's always my way . . ._"

". . . Why does that sound so wrong?" Penelope asked in a quivering voice.

It was at that very moment that the candlelight's flickered off; leaving the group in total darkness.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?!" Murray yelped in shock.

Before anything else flashes of lightning had suddenly illuminated the entire room in strobes; didn't the Ghost Host say there weren't any windows in the room? The group was now starting to think that things possibly couldn't get any worse than they were, now. Well, unfortunately, they were dead (no offense to the long deceased) wrong! The sounds of Bentley and Penelope screaming captured the attention as the rest of the group looked towards the two, who were scream up at the . . . ceiling? Before they could be questioned, the group followed where they were screaming at . . . and saw why they were so frightened. There, suspended by the neck with a noose on a now clear cupola above the ceiling, was a skeletal corpse of a canine! It was more than likely that this was the long, decomposed body of Edward Gracey. The group looked on in absolute horror at the hanging corpse for a few seconds as a loud, dreadful scream was heard, until the lightning stopped and the candles lit back up. At first the group thought that the whole ordeal was only hallucinations, but they rethought their assumptions when they saw that they were still in the chamber with the stretched portraits.

"What . . . was that?" Sly asked as soon as he found his voice.

"He . . . He took the coward's way out . . ." Carmelita murmured softly, though the room was quiet enough for everyone to hear (and agree).

It took a few seconds for the group to shake of their shock and Sly found that Carmelita was holding on to his arm, as was Penelope holding onto Bentley's arm. When they saw how close they were with each other, it was safe to say that both couples were embarrassed by these actions. This caused all four of the youths to blush extremely.

"Oh!" Penelope yelped, jumping away from the turtle boy.

"Sorry, I . . ." Carmelita muttered trying to hide her blush.

"I-it's cool." Sly dismissed, relishing how close to he was to his crush.

"No harm done." Bentley stated cooly, though he was ready to dance from being close to _his_ crush.

Their moment was short-lived as the four saw that Murray was in the arms of Peng and Dimitri was in the arms of Murray, most likely because of seeing the corpse. It was needless to say that it was an awkward moment for the three as they were gawked upon. Peng, not wanting the moment to last, dropped the hippo and iguana, allowing them to crash onto the floor. While helping the two up to their feet, the Ghost Host spoke up like he always did.

"_Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you, prematurely._"

Again, like he always did, the Ghost Host chuckled sinisterly at his own words.

"Oh yeah, be a spookey-wookey crackerbox, that's _so_ mature." Dimitri scoffed bitterly to himself.

"_The real chills come later, now, as they say, "Look alive", and we'll continued our little tour. Oh, and let's try to stay together, please._"

After his speech was done with, a part of the wall opened up to reveal a small hallway.

"For once, I actually agree with him." Peng stated, which every nodded.

Seeing no other option, the group of seven began to walk down said hallway, the opening closing up behind them. The group was met with the sounds of thunder and lightning as they saw that the hallway had actually had windows. It wasn't as though it mattered though as the sounds of, thunder, lighting, and rain drops made it clear that the storm was still raging off outside.

"That's comforting." Sly commented sarcastically. "We see the outside world for the first time in the last few minuets and _still_ the storm hasn't let up."

"Why us?" Bentley muttered, then noticed something on the opposite wall. "Hey, guys, look, more portraits."

True to the turtle's words, there were more portraits (six in total) along the wall of the dimly lit up hallway. The first was of a beautiful young, female black cat that was wearing a funeral dress. The second was of an old-fashion sailboat, possible English or Spanish in origin. The third was of a valiant-looking, mediaeval-English knight atop a majestic, white stallion. The fourth was of a young and attractive, female wolf in a dark-pink colored dress. The fifth was of another attractive, female wolf, only unlike the other femme wolf, she was wearing a green colored dress. Finally, the last of the portraits was of a young, handsome-looking wolf in a black suit, possible William Gracey (their gracious Ghost Host) when he was alive.

Like what happened in the stretching chamber, nothing felt out-of-place, but if you were inside a haunted house, what right was there to feel? The answer came as more bolts of lightning illuminated the hallway, causing the images of the portraits to change in appearance in the strobes light: the feline in black appeared more feral and (dangerously) vicious-looking, complete with glowing eyes and appeared to be roaring. The sailboat now looked like it had recently came out of a shipwreck as most of its wood was decayed with holes all around and the sails were near-completely torn away, giving the appearance of an actual "ghost ship", sailing through the now stormy (ironic, isn't it) sea. The knight and his steed were replaced with two skeletal creatures, the rider wielding the knight's sword and shield with a storm (again with the irony) in the background. The portrait of wolf femme in green changed, not only in background (which looked like a Greek temple [Sly should know since he was once in Greece on vacation]) and the wolf turned green, alike in scales and her long brown hair turned into ferocious snakes; she was a gorgon! Finally both portraits of William and the wolfess in pink as they both appeared to age rapidly, until they became very elderly, complete with longer grey hair.

For some reason, the group wasn't at all surprised by this, but it didn't make the mood any better in the least.

"Should've seen that coming." Murray muttered. "Hey, guys, I just remembered something back when we were in the chamber: you know that last scream, it sounded as though it were right next to me."

"Me too, but that couldn't be possible, the only other person between us was . . ." Peng started, but stopped when he and the hippo looked towards the iguana.

"What, don't be gawking at Dimitri, he don't shriek like a banshee!" Dimitri defended as all eyes were upon him, though it was obviously a lie. "Well, say Dimitri does, not saying that he does . . . you won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Lousteau." Penelope replied offhandedly.

The group decided to keep moving and saw that there was a sharp turn to the right, but what really had their attention were the two serious-looking, marble bust-heads, which were two wolves. Possibly, these were members or friends of the Gracey family; how else would someone sculpt the likeness of their heads if they weren't close to the family? What made the group weary was the fact that it felt as if they were staring right at them, but that was ridiculous, they were only statues. The raccoon, always on alert and constantly following his gut, felt something (like everything in this entire mansion) was seriously wrong and it caused him to stop in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Bentley asked, confused about his best friend's sudden halt.

"Every get the feeling you're being watch?" Sly replied seriously.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I'm having that exact feeling." Penelope admitted, which everyone else agreed upon receiving the same feeling.

Little did they know that it was just that, they really were being watched . . . BY THE MARBLE BUST HEADS! They had somehow turned and were even blinking and regarding the group as if they were both living gentlemen! They quickly resumed their natural position, while looking down the hallway when the group turned to look if there was anyone else around. Seeing that there was no one else around, they shrugged off their suspicions, then proceeded to what appeared to be a dead-end, but were soon met to the sound of wheels as an odd-looking carriage appeared before them. It was mostly black with a little red on the wheels and by the looks of the way it was built, it looked as though it could rotate without having to move the wheels. It was at that exact moment that a small step-ladder unfolded before them, obviously it was a sign for them to get on.

"Guess this is a sort of ride, well, in that case: ladies first." Sly stated with a bow like a true gentleman.

"Oh yes, Ladies." Bentley added, at least they could _try_ to play the part and bowed as well.

"Why thank you." Carmelita and Penelope said in unison as they gave the boys a curtsy.

"Kiss-ups." Dimitri muttered as he watched the four climbed onto the carriage, then followed.

"No need for jealousy." Sly rebuked offhandedly.

As soon as all seven were accounted for in the carriage, they saw that there were safety bars, odd, since when did carriages from the 1800s have safety bars? the question went unanswered as the voice of the Ghost Host spoke up.

"_Do not pull on the safety bars, please, I will lower them for you. Heed this warning: the spirits will materialize **only** when you remain quietly seated, at all times. Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please; we spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights._"

And the bars did that, as always, their "gracious" host was true to his word.

"How are we going to take pictures without cameras?" Bentley asked skeptically.

"Well, maybe if you brought those camera-binoculars with you, it doesn't even have a flash to bother the ghosts." Murray suggested, referring to one of his friend's new inventions.

"You mean my "binocucom"?"

Before anything else could be said, the carriage began to move forward; now the tour has truly begun.


	4. Madame Leota and the Bride

Chapter Three: Madame Leota and the Bride

* * *

**Author's Note**: I may have accidentally mixed a few things up, for that, I apologize.

* * *

It was a shock to see that their carriage the group was on glide up the stairs towards the second floor without bumping up and down as such, but the group didn't question after what they saw. Upon reaching the second floor, the upper part of the carriage then turned so they could look down a long, misty hallway . . . which appeared to be endless and had a floating candelabra!

"Hey, isn't that the same candelabra from downstairs?" Murray asked, squinting his eyes.

"Hard to tell, they seem to be everywhere." Peng replied.

The group's attention was caught by the sound of clinkering and clankering of metal, which came from a suit of a knight's armor . . . which was moving as if someone were wearing it.

"Um, good night, kind sir?" Sly greeted politely, though he didn't know why he said that.

As if it heard the raccoon, the suit of armor turned towards the group in the carriage, then gave them a polite bow.

"Guess chivalry isn't dead after all." Carmelita joked a bit.

It was then that the Ghost Host spoke back up.

"_Ah, it's nice to see the folks enjoying themselves._"

"Trying the best we can, Will." Penelope said; _that_ was an understatement.

"_In my home, each room has wall to wall creeps and hot and cold chills running . . . but it has taken time to give it that comfortable, unlived-in look_."

As he always does, the Ghost Host gave out one of his sinister chuckles.

"Lucky us." Dimitri said, though he _really_ didn't mean it.

As their carriage continued on, the group found themselves riding slowly past a conservatory that was filled with a verity of withered plants and flowers, but what really got their attention was that odd squeaking sound.

"You guys hear something?" Sly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I hear that too." Murray added

"Dimitri not liking the squeaking, no offense, mousey." Dimitri said in the third person.

"It's "Penelope", and none taken, I guess." Penelope corrected, but was quiet as she was beginning to shiver as the squeaking got louder.

It was then the sounds of fluttering wings caught their attention as a small raven (that had red glowing eyes) that took up on the mantle above a large wooden box . . .

"Let me out of here!"

That shocked the group as their attention switched from the small bird to the wooden box, only it wasn't a at all . . . IT WAS BLACK OAK COFFIN AND A SKELETAL HAND WAS TRYING TO PRY IT OPEN! In fact, the squeaking sound was from the coffin as whatever was inside was trying to get out! The group prayed that they wouldn't see what was inside of the coffin, one of them (unimportant who the hip-_person_ was) was still wearing clean undies.

"You disturbed a guest! Caw! Caw! You'll be sorry for that! Caw! Caw!" The raven crowed, much to the surprise of most of the group, but anger to one . . .

"Oh, I'll show _you_ "sorry", c'mere you rat with wings!" Carmelita snarled as she reached for the bird, who flew away in (ironic) fear, but was held back by her friends.

"Carm, let it go, we're not suppose to leave the carriage, remember?" Sly reminded, which succeeded (barely) in calming down the vixen.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of the Ghost Host's voice.

"_Whatever you do, don't betray your presence by screaming, just follow my voice and remain calm._"

"Not a problem for most of us." Peng stated, under his breath.

"Big challenge for some." Bentley muttered.

"You all have very active imaginations, especially the raccoon . . . That's good . . ."

"Uh, thank you?" Sly thanked, not sure how to feel.

The carriage then rolled into what appeared to be the mansion's personal library, much to the amazement and joy of a certain turtle and mouse. Like the other places in the entire mansion, it was old and covered with commentary from the Ghost Host.

"_Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions-_"

This seemed to raise the group's attention ten fold . . .

"_-Only ghost stories, of course._"

This caused the group to grown in annoyance as their "gracious" host let out one of his sinister chuckles.

"_And marble busts of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known._"

Upon seeing said busts, the group couldn't help but agree with the Ghost Host, for some of these busts depicted award/prize-winning writers that were once apart of the Swallow Falls Community; something that made Sly (who was a huge fan of some of the writers and their work) find himself entranced by their images. The others felt the same way as they looked at the busts, but only to make sure that nothing "unexpected" happens, like coming to life (if only they knew).

"_They have all retired here to the Haunted Mansion, actually, we have 999 happy haunts here, but there's always room for one thousand . . . Any volunteers?_"

To the group's chagrin and their leisurely discomfort, the Ghost Host let out another thunderous, sinister laugh. That's when a thought had come to Sly as he looked at Dimitri then to the ceiling.

"Say, Will, is it option to volunteer ourselves separately or volunteer someone from our group?" The raccoon asked, which the group (minus one) caught on.

"_Depends, who did you have in mind?_"

"Well . . ."

At that moment, all eyes were upon the purple marine iguana, who was starting to feel a sense of dread when it had suddenly occurred to him what the raccoon had meant.

"What, don't you be gawking your oculars at Dimitri!" The iguana said defensively.

Would it be bad and make them horrible people if they'd left him in here? No, as much as they really _really_ wanted to since he was annoying and was difficult to understand most of the time, they couldn't just leave the poor sap in this decaying mansion. He, like most of the community, probably had a family that cared about him very much.

"Never mind, on with the tour, please." Peng said.

"_As you wish_."

The carriage made a turn to the left and the group found themselves riding through another corridor, which was decoured with demon-faced wallpaper adorned with daguerreotype of corpses and another large portrait of the Ghost Host, in his elderly appearance opposed to the youthful William.

"Love what they did with the wallpaper." Penelope commented quietly.

It was then that thirteen chimes caught the group's attention as they looked to see a large grandfather clock, but there's was something wrong (like mostly everything in this old mansion) with the face; the hands were rapidly moving in reverse! Thinking that things couldn't possibly get anymore wild was vastly out of the question for what was to happen next. The sight of a shadow above the clock had caught the attention of the group and looked up to see what it was, but wished they rethought about that decision. The shadow was of a monstrous claw that appeared to be right behind the group and was about to strike at them! The group huddled with each other and squeezed their eyes shut; didn't the Ghost Host say they wouldn't be harmed if they took a "tour" of the mansion, didn't he?! The group waited and waited for the claw to strike upon them, but after a few minuets . . . nothing. The group opened their eyes, sat back up, and looked around for the creature that attacked them, but there was nothing else in the corridor with them as the carriage proceeded its way.

"I'm going to need serious therapy after this." Bentley muttered, which sounded good to the group.

It was then that the carriage took them into a darkened room, which was filled with the sound of . . . instruments?

"_We're about participate in a séance, Madame Leota is assembling all the spirits who have been just dying to meet you . . ._"

As always, the Ghost Host gave out another sinister chuckle, which did not bode well for the seven youths.

"Lucky us." Carmelita said with a fake smile.

Their carriage then came to a complete stop as the group found themselves in what appeared to be a music room, but that's not what had their attention. No, their full attention was in the center of the room was a large, round table and on it was a fortune teller's crystal ball . . . which had a severed head in side of it! The head itself appeared to be a feline with long flowing hair and was glowing an unnatural green color, meaning that she was, for a fact, a ghost. So this was the fabled Madame Leota, odd, the group didn't consider to see just her head. Then again, what was to be expected in this "House of Horrors"? The surprise didn't stop there for the head inside the crystal ball blinked its eyes and began to speak.

"_Serpents and spiders; tail of a rat; call in the spirits, wherever they're at!_"

At Leota's command, the group began to hear a series of moans and groans.

"_Rap on a table, it's time to respond; send us a message from somewhere beyond!_"

At that moment a rap on the table was heard as well.

"_Goblins and ghoulish from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!_"

As said tambourine began to clatter, the mouse, panda, and iguana found themselves shivering with fright, but for some reason, the raccoon, turtle, hippo, and vixen found it oddly comforting at the sound of Halloween.

"_Creepies and crawlies; toads in a pond; let there be music from regions beyond!_"

Though the group had their own preferences on what kind of music they liked, they did _not_ like the sound of the instruments playing themselves.

"_Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint by ringing a bell!_"

On that last command, a small bell began to chime away as the voice of the Ghost Host spoke back up.

"_Come now, we must leave this cozy circle for . . ._"

"What?" Murray, asked, not liking the way the Ghost Host stopped.

"_Ssshhhh, listen . . ._"

The group did just that and, almost instantly, began to hear the chimes of a pipe-organ; where'd that come from?

"_The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize._"

"They-they are?" Dimitri asked in a quivering voice.

"_They're assembling for a swinging wake and they'll be expecting me._"

"Wait, does that mean . . ?" Peng started to ask when he realized what was about to happen.

"_I'll see you all a little later._"

"Hold on, wait, don't-he's probably already gone." Sly said, but stopped when the Ghost Host's voice stopped.

"Some host _he_ was." Carmelita said bitterly. "What do you think meant by "swinging wake" anyway?"

Before anything else could be said, the carriage began to move once again and took them across a balcony that overlooked a magnificent ballroom, which was apparently occupied. Ghosts; the ballroom was filled to the brim with real, spectral apparitions! Seated around a long was a few ghosts celebrating a birthday party, only when the birthday boy blew out the candles, the other attendants vanished with the flames. Above the birthday party, were two more ghosts that were seated on the chandelier and chugging down wine, which fazed right through them. More ghosts began to appear from a coffin in an old hearse from down the hall. Not only that, but there were ghosts waltzing on the dance floor and a ghost who was playing the pipe-organ the group heard before, which sprouted out little ghost heads. There were also two more portraits of Civil War soldiers, one Confederate and one Union, that came to life and shot at each other as if they were still at war. Needless to say in the least, it was actually more interesting than it was scary for the group: it was becoming more pleasant than horrifying.

"Going out on a limb and saying that is." Bentley deduced nostalgically.

It was then that the carriage began to glide up another flight of stairs and found themselves to be in the attic, which was irregularly shaped and looked as though it were still under renovations. Odd, was William trying to expand this room for old items, because it wasn't a bad idea since it was cluttered with various items. They all appeared to be a collection of gifts, personal items, mementoes, and wedding portraits of each member of the Gracey family. Some such portraits caught Peng's attention as he recognized the old woman, only younger in appearance in two of the portraits, from the stretching room in a bride's dress. Another thing that the panda noted from what he saw was that in each portrait, she was wearing a different set of diamond necklaces. He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of a sharp blade cutting through something. As the other looked to the other direction, Murray caught sight of a shadow, but he saw when he turned made his blood run as cold as ice.

"Anyone else hear that?" Penelope asked, quivering once more.

"Uh, guys . . ?" Murray asked, wide-eyed from what he was looking at.

Before Anyone could say anything else as they turned, they too became wide-eyed in complete fright as well. Right there, with a small hatchet in hand, was an elderly female wolf in a black dress and hair done up in a beehive, upon seeing her transparent face closely, the group recognized her as Constance Hatchaway (funny that was her last name). She was known as the "Black Widow Bride" as she would marry rich men, then murder them to inherit their fortune. Greed, no wonder it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, eh? After murdering four men, she was finally caught after the death of her fifth husband who had built the mansion for the Gracey family, George Hightower. Seeing her up close with a demented smile was one thing to make a mirror crack, only she wasn't a normal female now; she was a ghost! It was at that moment that she lifted both of her arms, which meant one thing: SHE WAS GOING TO TAKE A SLASH AT THEM!

"Duck!" Carmelita shouted, which everyone complied.

After a swift sound of the hatchet slashing the air, the group slowly started to sit back up slowly and were glad to see they still had their heads on their shoulders . . . EXCEPT FOR BENTLEY!

"Oh no!" Sly exclaimed as he and everyone looked at the turtle's headless body in horror.

"I'm okay; I'm fine!" Bentley said when his head popped out of his shell, much to everyone's relief; guess there were advantages in being a turtle.

"Honestly, Constance, must you frighten these poor youths? We never have living visitors in this part of the mansion."

The group turned to locate the source of the new, more soothing, voice and were surprised and not shocked by what they saw. It was another ghost, who was also female, but this one was different as she wore a tattered-up bride's wedding dress and was holding up a bouquet of long dead flowers. Another thing to be noted by this figure was that her heart, which was seen through her transparent body and red in color, was rapidly beating. Though most of this disturbed the group highly and without question, they saw that she was a very beautiful wolf beneath her torn veil.

"Oh, come off it, Emily, I was only trying to be friendly." Constance defended mistily.

"Well, with best-buds like Miss Hatchet, who need's a someone to pick fights with?" Dimitri said sarcastically under his breath.

"That'll be enough of that, away with you, Constance." Emily commanded, which sounded more like a firm urge, huffing Constance away. "Such rude behavior; I hope she didn't frighten you."

"Who, us, no way, it'll take more than that to get to "The Murray"." Murray announced, trying to look tough.

"Hold on, you-you're Emily De Claire, the fiancée of William Gracey." Sly declared, surprising the ghost and his friend. "Wow, you're just as lovely now as you were alive."

"My, what a gentleman you are." Emily said with a kind smile, which made the guys melt and girls huff. "So, you are the ones that William has taken onto his tour, how was you're time here in our humble mansion?"

"Despite our "gracious" host leaving us to fend for ourselves, this place is actually quite the attraction." Penelope said admirably.

"I'm glad that you're all having some fun; makes me remember the fun times I had with the Graceys when I was alive. Now, even with all the happy haunts, it feels so lonely. I love William, I really do, but I wish that there would be more to what we have, like becoming a mother and father."

They way Emily spoke made the group felt heart-broken for the spirit of the Ghost Host's once bride-to-be, it would even make them cry if she wanted to. She and William must have really loved each other if she wish to have children with him. The group could feel for her since they each cared for their families and they meant everything to them. They all knew too well of the tale of Emily's story, which was the most tragic and quite the tear-jerker, and understood that it must've been torture for her to remember such events.

"I'm so sorry about that, you would have been a wonderful mother." Carmelita encouraged with a caring smile.

"Thank you, young miss, but that has all came and went, you need not worry about I." Emily replied with a voice that reminded the group of their own respective mothers. "So, how is it that such young gentlemen and women like yourselves find your way into the mansion?"

"We had no choice in the matter, it was either we stay outside and get drenched in the storm or find shelter here." Bentley clarified, adjusting his glasses.

"You mean the one that passed a few minuets ago?"

Wait . . . what did she just say?

"She's right, look." Peng said, pointing out a window which showed the now clear sky that was light up by the stars and a full moon.

"Guess that means we can finally go home." Murray said, beyond relieved.

"Oh, I do hope you're all not planning to leave too soon." Emily spoke up, catching the group's attention. "Not before you can see the swinging wake in the graveyard."

"G-g-graveyard?" Bentley sputtered, his natural green color paling.

"Of course not, in fact, we were just on our way there." Sly said politely, knowing that he and his friends had no control of their carriage. "Can you tell us how to get there?"

"Of course, you just go out this window and down the terrace; you'll be in the graveyard in no time." Emily said pointing out to said terrace.

"Thanks, I guess." Penelope thanked under her breath.

"Will you be attending this ghostly shindig?" Dimitri asked out of politeness.

"Sadly, no, I must stay here, but I do wish you all a good night." Emily replied and as soon as she saw the raccoon and vixen, as well as the turtle and mouse, holding hands, she couldn't help but smile. "And though William and I were unable to be with each other in love, I do hope that the two couple have a bright future."

This confused the group at first, until they realized which two couples the wolfess was talking about as Sly and Carmelita, as well as Bentley and Penelope, noticed they were holding hands. Both couples withdrew their hands, their faces madly blushing a bright-red color in embarrassment, though they were celebrating on the inside. It was then that they remembered that there were three others among the group, who were looking at the four with knowing smiles. This only caused the four to glare at the three with hard expressions that creeped them out, more than anything that was in the mansion.

"No. A. Word." Sly warned edgily.

"Out. Of." Carmelita continued.

"Any. Of." Penelope went on.

"You." Bentley finished.

"Got it?" All four demanded?

"Got it." The hippo, panda, and iguana said in quivering voices.


	5. Grim Grinning Ghosts

Chapter Four: Grim Grinning Ghosts

* * *

Music.

That's what the group was starting to hear as their carriage made their way out the window and down the veranda as the carriage began to rotate backwards. This confused the group wholly, though it was part of its function, but what really had their attention disturbed them. They had found themselves surrounded by dark, ghoulish looking trees with knotted expressions; causing then to look like monsters reaching out for the group. One one of the branches was the raven from the mansion, the red eyes made him recognizable, who was about to crow at the group, but stopped and shrunk away when it noticed the fiery eyes of Carmelita.

"I'm always the one for recycling, but these trees don't look so "Eco-friendly" to me." Sly stated, his eyes narrowed.

"That makes two of us." Bentley added, agreeing with his raccoon friend.

It was when they were finally on the ground that the carriage returned facing forward and was making its way towards the gates of the cemetery. As they got closer, they saw that they weren't alone as there was someone standing outside the gate . . . and he appeared to be alive! Upon closer inspection showed that it was an adult male dog that appeared to be middle-aged Blood-Hound with greying-brown fur, rugged twelve-o-clock shadow, thin tail, long shoulder-length grey hair, and dull-blue eyes with the pupils shrunken in fright. He wore a blue long-sleeved shirt, brown hoodless jacket, brown slacks, dirty-brown leather gloves, green scarf around his neck, and a dark-blue cap. He also appeared to be holding an old-fashioned lantern in one hand, which brightened up everywhere around him, and a dirt-covered shovel in the other.

"Hey there, you alright?" Murray called out, which startled the canine, but called when he saw who it was.

"Oh, hello, you gave this ol' ticker a start." The dog said, calming down. "I don't believe we've met, I'm Fusslebottom, Horace Richard Fusslebottom, some people call me "Boney", I'm the caretaker of the mansion."

"Nice to meet you, "Boney"." Sly snickered, as did the rest of the group at the sound of Horace's name. "I'm Sly and these are my friends Bentley, Murray, Carmelita, and Penelope."

"I'm Peng." The panda introduced, then gestured to the last member of the group. "And this flashy clad person is Dimitri."

"Bonne Nuit, Monsieur Fusslebottom." The iguana greeted, once again snickering at the name once more.

"Well, if I must ask, what're youngsters like yourselves doing in a place like this in the middle of the night . . ?" Boney asked when he saw that the were in the carriage. "Now I'm not the most knowledgeable person around these parts, but I'm assuming that you're all on a tour by Master Gracey."

"Up until he ditched us, but yeah, we are." Carmelita replied wistfully.

"But what about you, you looked like you've seen a ghost." Penelope noted by how horrified the Blood Hound was. "Pun not intended, of course."

"Oh, that, yes, when I come here each night the haunts have their Swinging Wake, they like to jump out and surprise me." Boney said in a low sad voice. "If it weren't bad enough that I was already afraid of the dark."

"If you don't pardon me asking, but if you're so afraid of the dark, then why do you work here?" Bentley asked out of curiosity.

"Well, to tell the truth, my wife passed away not too long ago, but she was buried here rather than the Swallow Falls cemetery."

"Really?" Murray asked.

"Yes, whenever Mr. Gracey and the ghosts have a Swinging Wake, my wife always appears here and we have dinner like we use to when she was alive." Bone replied dreamily and vividly. "Even now, she's as beautiful as ever and still wears that same hair band I got her for our 22nd anniversary, but I'm probably weirding you out."

"Not at all, in fact, it's good to know there's still some happiness left in this ancient place." Sly said, maybe this place wasn't as bad as he thought after all. "Well, it's been nice meeting you, Boney, but we gotta book or our parents will worry themselves to death."

This had actually made everyone, including Boney, let out a chuckle and giggle.

"Yeah, my wife might appear at any minuet, I'll see you all around."

The carriage then began to continue it's way as it began to wheel it's way through the graveyard . . . which was filled to the brim with ghosts from different parts in time! Some appeared to be from the mid to late 1800s as some appeared to be from the 1930s; just how many people lived in this mansion anyway? It was at that moment that the raccoon, vixen, turtle, and hippo noticed a bright red-orange light from above their carriage and were shocked to see what it was.

"Zero?" Sly questioned skeptically.

"That _was_ Zero!" Carmelita whispered in amazement.

"What do you think he was doing here?" Murray asked, scratching his head.

"You guys say something?" Penelope asked, which also got the attention of the panda and iguana.

"Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud is all." Bentley said with a nervous chuckle.

"If you say so." Dimitri shrugged, reverting his attention to his front.

It was if it were by chance, or fate, whichever came first, but what came next was an even bigger shock than it was a few minuets ago. There, up in a conversation with a few ghosts, was a tall, skeletal figure wearing a white dress-shirt with a bat-like bow-toe, gentleman's pinstripe tail coat, matching pinstripe pants, and black shoes. This figure was apparently familiar to the group and vice-versa as a flying ghost-dog with a glowing nose flew around said figure, who then spotted the carriage, causing him to don a look of surprise. The figure rubbed his eye, though they were only empty sockets, as if he could believe what he was seeing or if what it saw was really there. Upon making sure that neither side was hallucinating and were really there, were about to call out to each other, when Sly stopped and gestured his friends and the figure to remain quiet. The raccoon went on to gesture to the other three companions, all three of whom the figure did not seem to recognize and were conveniently looking away, then nodded. The figure then began to send the four signs languages, which Murray couldn't understand, and Carmelita nodded as she perfectly understood what was signaled their way. With that all out of the way, the four began to wave goodbye to the figure, who waved back with a bright smile, well, as bright as a skeleton could anyway.

"Murray, who're you waving to?" Peng asked as the hippo saw that he, plus the iguana and mouse, were staring at him.

"No one, just trying to get a good stretch from sitting in this carriage too long." Murray replied, then began to stretch, chuckling nervously as his turtle friend.

"Okay . . ." Penelope said casting a glance at the raccoon, turtle, and vixen, who only shrugged.

Before anyone could say anything else, the carriage rode up to a broken-up brick wall, which had five marble-bust heads: one of a coyote wearing a hat, a croc with a neatly trimmed haircut, a tabby that would appeared to be muscular if it had a body, a middle-aged goose, and a Doberman that was apparently broken.

"Alright, boys, from the top." The bust with the hat, much to the groups surprise, spoke up, indicating he was the leader.

It was then that the music changed from Mozart and classical to jazzy as the busts began to sing, which was actually very catchy.

Lead Bust: **When the crypt doors creak**

**And the tombstones quake!**

Other Busts: **Spooks come out**

**For a Swinging Wake!**

Lead Bust: **Happy Haunts **

**Materialize!**

Other Busts: **And begin to**

**Vocalize!**

Bust Quintet: **Grim Grinning Ghosts**

**Come out to socialize!**

Upon looking around, the group saw that the busts were right; all the ghosts that were appearing were in conversations as well as dancing.

Lead Bust: **Now don't close your eyes**

**And don't try hide!**

Other Busts: **Or a Silly Spook**

**May ****sit by your side!**

As the busts continued to sing, Sly noticed a figure sitting besides the carriage, which also caught the attention of the rest of the group, and were shocked to see what it was. It appeared to be a short, male Pomeranian with long ghostly white hair and was wearing 1890-eqsue clothing with a V-collared cape and top-hat with a grey line. But what really got to the group was that when he turned to look at them and revealed that he face was very skeletal with only his (with the exception of his hair) eyes, which looked completely white save for the shrunken pupils, still attached as he smiled dementedly.

Ghost: **Shrouded in**

**a daft disguise!**

After singing it's part, the ghost vanished right into thin air, though it was noticeable to see how surprised the group was. They just shook it off as he carriage continued to move through he graveyard

Busts: **The pretend**

**to terrorize!**

Bust Quintet: **Grim Grinning Ghosts**

**Come out to socialize!**

Lead Bust: **As the moon high**

**O'er dead oak trees!**

The group looked to see a large, silvery full-moon in the night sky, above the mentioned dead oak trees.

Other Busts: **Spook arrive for**

**The Midnight-Spree!**

Lead Bust: **Creepy creeps**

**With eerie eyes . . .**

It was at that time that the ghost with the big eyes reappeared, but only for a few seconds.

Creep: **Start to shriek!**

Other Busts: **And Harmonize!**

Bust Quintet: **Grim Grinning Ghosts**

**Come out to socialize!**

Lead Gust: **When you hear the knell**

**Of a requiem bell!**

Upon singing that one verse, a bell from the funeral home began to ring and eerie light began to appear from as more ghosts began to appear.

Other Busts: **Weird glows gleam **

**Where spirits dwell!**

Lead Bust: **Restless bones**

**Etherialize!**

Other Busts: **Rises spooks**

**Of every size!**

Instead of ending the verse with "Grim Grinning Ghosts" like the others, the leader of the busts merely let out an evil laugh, though it wasn't as chilling as the Ghost Host's.

"Okay, what's a "requiem" bell, and what happens if it "knells"?" Murray asked, scratching his head.

"A requiem bell, is a funeral bell, Murray." Bentley said as if it were obvious.

"And knell means ringing." Carmelita added.

"So, in short, it means that more ghosts are appearing thanks to that funeral bell." Penelope finished, clearing things up.

"Oh . . ."

As the carriage road on more, the group spotted four more ghosts high above them, which were apparently riding on 1920-style bicycles as if they were on the ground. Traveling deeper into the graveyard was a lot different as there were some ghosts that surrounded a hearse, which was covered in mud, and were apparently having a tea party. Balancing on a teeter-totter were a king and queen and a duchess was swinging on a branch of a withered old tree as a skeletal hound was howling in the background. What really confused the group was that there was an Egyptian sarcophagus that was slightly opened revealing a mummified hand; did the family have relatives on Egypt or was it part of a collection? Next to the sarcophagus appeared to be an elderly dingo with wrinkly skin, long white hair, and wearing 1800s-era clothing, and was carrying an old-fashioned hearing horn. It could have been to the (obvious) fact that this long dead old-timer was deaf or hard of hearing, or both.

"What?" The elderly specter asked, adjusting his hearing-horn. "Speak up, I can't understand what you're saying!"

This was quite the scene indeed as these antics was given chuckles and giggles from the group; perhaps it was for the best that the ghost was deaf. It was at that moment that the group spotted the familiar form of Boney, sitting next to a grave and was having a conversation with a female, Scottish Setter . . . Who was a ghost! She appeared to be in her mid-thirties wearing clothing from the 1940's and long lowing hair; this must've been his wife. As they rode on, Boney had caught sight of the group, as did his wife as they both gave friendly waves, which were returned by waves from the group. Continuing on its way, the carriage rode past another tea party, which was being lead by the woman from the Medusa portrait from the mansion. As soon as she saw the group riding by, she gestured to all that were attended at he table to the carriage, then nodded as if they were saying "hello". The group waved to acknowledge their greet and listened as the female canine ghost began to sing along.

Lady Ghost: **When the crypt doors creak**

**And the tombstones quake!**

**Spooks come out**

**For a Swinging Wake**

**Happy Haunts materialize**

**And begin to vocalize**

**Grim Grinning Ghosts**

**Come out to socialize**

The way she sang was very elegant, not like a fancy and uptight manner, but one of being dainty when singing each verse, which astounded the group in many ways. As the group continued on, they immediately spotted two feline figures that looked eerily similar to the character "Erik" from "Phantom of the Opera", only one of the "phantoms" had the mask the opposite way. Man, if Mr. Octavio, a residential who absolutely adored opera, would love to see this, despite all the ghosts. Also, like Erik, they began to boom their voices as if they were performing in an opera house. If that weren't enough, three more ghostly figures appeared from the out of the darkness: a bear, a wolf, and a small koala (like their teacher Mister Korman, but different). The bear was dressed as a medieval executioner, the koala (who was very hair [more rhyme]) was dressed in tattered clothing and shackles, which meant he was a prisoner. The knight appeared similar to the skeletal knight portrait from the mansion, but was fully in flesh, provided if he weren't a ghost that is. He was also headless! He was carrying his head, which was in an opened helmet that revealed he was elderly with a very long mustache, in his right hand in a Hamlet-like fashion. Upon seeing the carriage, they did something that did not fit their aura; they partook in the music and began to join into the singing!

Executioner: **Now don't close your eyes**

**And don't try to hide**

Knight:** Or a Silly Spook**

**May sit by your side**

Prisoner: **Shrouded in**

**A daft disguise**

Ghost Lady: **They Pretend**

**To Terrorize**

**Grim Grinning Ghost **

**Come out to socialize**

Now that was unexpected for anyone to hear from the three: the woman and executioner having British accents, the knight having a Germanic accent, and the prisoner having a grave voice. None the less, they sounded as if they had sung for years as they all sung in unison.

Prisoner: **As the moon **

**Climbs high o'er dead oak trees**

Knight: **Spook arrive for **

**The Midnight Spree**

Executioner: **Creepy Creeps with eerie eyes**

**Start to shriek and harmonize**

**Grim grinning Ghosts**

**Come out to socialize**

Ghost Lady: **When you hear the knell**

**Of a requiem bell!**

**Weird glows gleam**

**Where spirits dwell!**

**Restless bone etherealize!**

**Rises spooks of every size!**

**Oh, yes, indeed!**

Apparently, the ghosts were saving up their biggest performance for last as the graveyard was now filled to the brim with music and singing.

Ghosts and Busts: **When the crypt doors creak**

**And the tombstones quake!**

**Spooks come out for a Swinging Wake!**

**Happy Haunts materialize**

**And begin to vocalize!**

**Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!**

**Now don't close your eyes and don't try to hide**

**Or a Silly Spook will sit by your side!**

**Shrouded in a daft disguise!**

**They pretend to terrorize!**

**Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!**

**As the moon climbs high o'er dead oak trees**

**spooks arrive for a Midnight Spree!**

**Creepy Creeps with eerie eyes**

Single Bust: **Start to shriek!**

Ghosts and Busts:** And harmonize!**

**Grim grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!**

**When you hear the knell of a requiem bell**

**Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell!**

**Restless bones etherealize **

**Rises spooks of ever size!**

Upon singing the final verse, every ghost and undead creature, let out sinister laughs as the group was met by an all too familiar voice.

"_Ah! There you are!_"

"Here we are." Sly mumbled indifferently.

"Where else could we go?" Murray asked sarcastically.

"_There's one little matter I forgot to mention._"

"_Little_ matter?" Peng questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Which is?" Carmelita urged on, suspicious of what was about to be said.

"_Beware of hitchhiking ghosts!_"

"_Hitchhiking_ ghosts, what hitchhiking ghosts?" Penelope questioned, looking around.

"_Ou Est_ (where is?)?" Dimitri asked in French, also looking around.

As soon as those words were spoken, the group saw three figures leaning to their left and signaling for a ride by any passing by vehicle. The first figure, being the shortest of the three, was the familiar form of the dwarf-sized prisoner from the Swinging Wake. The other two, however, were completely new to the group: the first was a plump, hunchbacked dingo with a top hat and was carrying a carpet-bag. The other, who was the tallest out of the three, was a skeletal-looking ferret wearing a bowler hat. The one thing the ferret and ding had in common, as with the other ghosts in the graveyard, was that they were wearing 1880s-era clothing. The group merely shrugged it off as they entered a large tomb that, for some reason, happened to have four large mirrors on the left wall.

"_They selected you to fill our quota and they'll haunt you till return!_"

It was then that the Ghost Host let out another one of his loud, echoing as the top of the carriage turned towards the mirrors . . . which showed the ghosts sitting with the group!

"_Now, I will raise the safety-bars and a ghost will follow you home, kindly watch your step, watch your step . . ._"

Ghosts: **If you would like to join our jamboree**

**There's a simple rule that's compulsory**

**Mortals pay a token fee**

**Rest In Peace, the hunting's free**

**So hurry back, we would like your company**

And just like that, the voice of the Ghost Host gave out one last sinister chuckle, then began to fade away. Upon coming to a halt, the carriage's safety bars lifted up; allowing the group to safely get off and stepped down the ladder to the floor. But there were a few, matters that needed to be sorted out before they could leave, effective: immediately.

"Okay, here's the thing guys: nnnnnoooooo." Murray stated, looking at the three ghosts.

"What my friend is trying to say is that you cannot accompany us home." Bentley clarified, no longer frightened.

"We weren't going to leave the cemetery . . . for long." The skeletal ferret mumbled.

"That's right, we would've been there, haunt, and begone before anyone knew." The dingo added.

"For a few days . . ." The prisoner admitted.

"Look, guys, you seem like nice guys, but, how do I put this . . ?" Sly started to pondered.

"No way, Joe-Say, ez any of you _trois_ haunting near my house!" Dimitri stated bluntly.

"Never happening." Peng said sternly.

"Me _familia_ is all I need at home!" Carmelita said angrily.

"Guys, cool it, will ya!" Sly exclaimed, which did the trick as he regained his composure. "What we're trying to say is: we can't let you guys come with us."

"Sorry, but I don't think any of our families would like ghosts haunting around our homes." Penelope finished carefully, which saddened the spirits some.

"But look at it this way, it's almost Halloween." Bentley pointed out. "That way all the ghosts can blend in."

"In other words: have a Happy Halloween." Sly said with an assuring smile.

The ghosts though for a minuet, then smiled and nodded as they waved goodbye, then made their way back to the graveyard, laughing as they did so. Continuing on their way, the group caught sight of one final spectral figure, which appeared to be the girl with the parasol from one of the stretching portraits in the mansion. The way she spoke bounced off the walls as she smiled at the group.

"_Hurry back . . . Hurry back . . . Be sure to bring your death certificates if you decide to join us . . . We've been dying . . . to have you . . ._"

"Oh, we will, we will." Bentley smiled, then turned back to the group. "I about seventy years."

Then, as they made their way up the slope, the iguana and panda suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the rest of the group to look their way.

"Say, Cooper, I know me and Kung Fu boy here haven't been the most friendliest of peoples for as long as we've known each other . . ." Dimitri started but was stuttering as he did so. "But, maybe . . . if we, if it might be . . ."

"I think that what he's trying to say is if it might be alright if we could . . . hang out, tomorrow?" Peng, timidly asked.

The five were completely caught off-guard as soon as they heard those words spoken right from the panda's mouth; did he really want to hang out? Yeah, they were both jerks when they were with their respective gangs, but they seemed a lot different now that said gangs were disbanded. In fact, al throughout the "tour" they never showed an inch of how they've acted before; almost as if those "bad part" of them had simply vanished without a trace. Well, if they really have changed for the better, maybe giving them a chance was a good idea.

"Maybe, how does tomorrow afternoon sound?" Sly asked, which surprised his two former enemies.

"I like it." Peng smiled.

"Sounds like a plan, Cooper Man." Dimitri added enthusiastically.

The group then made their way out of the tomb and were walking through the front yard, when something shiny on the ground a few feet away had suddenly caught Sly's full attention as he broke from the group to see what it was. As the raccoon had reached what he saw, he kneeled down, grabbed the object, then brought it to his eyes to see what it was. To his shock and surprise, it was a dark-navy-blue sapphire gem! The raccoon could scarcely believe his eyes! Though he wasn't a greedy person, or a gold digger for that matter, but if there was one out of the many things the Cooper was good at: it was being able to tell genuine from prosthetic. It must've belonged to the Graceys or friends of theirs, but the real question was how did it end up out here and why was it that the raccoon had found it first-

"Sly, you coming?" Carmelita called out.

"Yeah, be right there!" Sly called back, placed the gem in his pocket, then rushed to catch up with the group.


	6. New Story

Epilogue: New Story

* * *

It was the night afterwards that Sly was seated in front of his computer in his room, typing word after word of each key on the keyboard onto his Microsoft document page. It was needless to say that as soon as they got home the night before, each of the groups parents were beyond worried. Good thing was that they understood that they had to find shelter from the storm, but felt that it was best to leave out the part with the Gracey manor and that it was haunted. It would be one thing to worry less about, provided _if_ anyone would actually believe such a crazy story like that. Still, it was understandable that parents would tell their children to stay away from the old mansion if they thought it were dangerous. As promised the previous night, he, Murray, Bentley, Carmelita, and Penelope had hung out with Peng and Dimitri all day earlier at the ice-cream parlor. These two were actually pretty cool in their own way: Peng knew a lot about fireworks from his grandfather and Dimitri was an expert in scuba diving; who would have thought. They really weren't as bad as anyone thought they were when they were in their respective gangs.

As the raccoon typed in the remaining words, checked for spelling errors, made sure the punctuations were in order, then saved the file to seal the deal. He proceeded to turn on his printer, then click on the print icon, and waited for the process to do its work. As soon as he knew that he had enough pages, the turned off the printer, then grabbed a stapler to hold the pages together. This would be another story to add to the ones he had already printed out three years before, only this one would be of it's own series of fantasy. The title, as each had it's own, would be something fitting to it's background and story, one that would be as read; one that was pretty much told to him. The title would be as followed: "_The Haunted Mansion_".

"Wonder if I'll become the next Stephen King?" Sly mused to himself, fondly remembering the bust in the mansion's library.

"Sly, you ready to go?" His father, Conner, called from downstairs.

"Coming, dad!"

Tonight, the Coopers were going out to eat Italian food, which was one of Sly's favorite (seriously, who doesn't like Italian), since Conner had a huge success with a client earlier that day. The young raccoon proceeded to log off his computer, placed his work in his desk, then grabbed his favorite hoodie. As he was about to leave, his eyes landed on an old map on his nightstand, which caused him to smile; thinking how another friend of his would have loved to see the Gracey manor. He then took out the sapphire to admire (rhyme) it a bit more; maybe it was a sign of things to come. Whether or not it was or did, he shrugged it off; best to wait patiently.

"When the crypt doors creep and the tombstones quake . . ." Sly sang as he closed the door to his room.

* * *

And there you have it, but that doesn't mean I'm finished with Sly Cooper or his adventures in Swallow Falls; far, far from it. You see, dear viewers, the Haunted Mansion also can get into the holiday _spirit_ (get it) and not just Halloween, if you catch my drift ;). Also, there different Mansions per Disney theme park, gives one an idea, eh? Anyway, to those who followed up on this, I thank you very much and hope this satisfied your supernatural side. Till next we meet, this is the King of 2211, wishing all of you a Happy Halloween! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


End file.
